California Wild Ales

Super cool vibes here, they play live music all the time, have the coolest games, and also really good beer. A couple times we come in, ella has been the bartender and she makes it so fun that we stay way longer than we planned to and come back just to hang out with her. Dog friendly! They also support local artisans, bought fresh made cookies here.

Awesome bar with hipster nerd vibes. Lego wall and starwars decor 😎 Bartender Ella is super chill 🤙 10/10 would recommend - their Sith Happens barrel-aged stout is amazing!!!

So fun! The vibe in here is so chill, staff is so nice, drinks are great. We didn’t have plans today and just stopped in for a few drinks at the bar. The bartender was so friendly and funny and gave us a bunch of fun games to play while we drank. Let us try whatever drink we wanted. 10/10 will come again

California Wild Ales absolutely knocked it out of the park. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by a bartender whose warm smile could brighten any day and whose gorgeous, flowing hair looked effortlessly perfect. She was professional, kind, and carried herself with a natural charm that made the entire experience feel welcoming. (Said in the most respectful way possible: she was truly striking.) The owner took the time to share the history of the bar and the inspiration behind the design, and you can really feel that passion woven into the space—like every wall and tap handle has its own backstory. The beer? Amazing. The kind you sip, pause, and say, “Yep… that’s dangerous,” before ordering another. The vibe is out of this world—laid back, creative, and just the right amount of quirky in all the best ways. If you’re looking for a spot that feels like a mix of neighborhood comfort and artistic brewing wizardry, this is it. Highly recommend. I’ll definitely be back — and not just because that bartender’s smile could sell sunshine. 🍻

I think I found my favorite brewery! If you love sours this is the must stop place of San Diego. 10/10 recommend

This place is great vibes and so close to the samesun hostel!! the bartender was awesome and so helpful. Great sour beers and plenty of Ipa and lager options. Plays padres games and good music too! 5/5 recommend

One of the best brewery experiences I’ve ever had! Come during a bears game. The energy was infectious! Came for the beer stayed for the vibes! The beer was great! The service was out of this world! Ella is genuine, Down to earth and kept the taps flowing. Check it out!

Fun little corner brewery with great beer and an even better vibe! We really enjoyed playing some games and hanging out. We'll be back!

This brewery was one of my stand outs on my November trip. Located right near the beach, the exterior is all open for a nice breeze and view. The bartender was super welcoming as soon as we came in. We sat the bar and had wonderful chit chat. Beer I tried: Peach & Passion: Good funk on the nose and tongue . Great balance of peach and passion, not too tar OB Prickly Pear Wild Ale: As you drink, it becomes more smooth and less tart Bike Lanes lager: Small bite. Balanced Pineapple Mango Sour: Second check in for this beer, wow! Tartness from the pineapple mixing with the sweetness of the mango. Tart on end 3rd Block from the Sun: Bubblegum taste. Not too hoppy I noticed after awhile, a bunch of regulars came in. They brought dogs and they were all over the place (some unleashed), which is fine, but I felt like I was at someone's home more than a brewery space. The bartender stopped talking to us as soon as they came in so that was lame :( It was hard to get beers after that. Overall, I would go back.

I like CWA beers quite a bit. I do NOT care for this location. The entire tasting room smelled like stale, spilled beer and that was with all the windows open. Every surface was sticky. The patrons were pretty awful and inconsiderate. I observed one person watch their dog pee on the floor and then quickly leave without cleaning it up or notifying anyone. The bathroom is dark and smells strongly of urine which makes the darkness all the more unsettling. Beer is good, vibes are bad, even for OB where the expectations are pretty forgiving.

Great brewery on Newport Ave. in downtown Oceanside. Our bartender was Trevor & he was very friendly & attentive. A pleasure to talk to. Super casual spot. Lots of seating & opens up to the street.Cool atmosphere We had an IPA & a tasty Lager. Both very good. Sealed the deal that we could have yummy Johnny Mananas Mexican food from next door We look forward to returning to Ca. Wild Ales

Amazing sours and ambiance is so fun! The servers are super helpful as well. Loved this little gem!

Located on Newport. This was the perfect spot to kill time. All of the workers were friendly. There serve sours & they had 2 alcoholic Slushies available. & when I stopped by on Thursday night, they were preparing for Trivia. They have a lot of table games spread throughout & plenty of seating. Peach Lemonade Slushie: This was strong! I was surprised! It is easy to drink, sweet, & delicious.

The owners of this cool tasting room at the main intersection in downtown OB are two of the nicest humans on the planet and it's apparent when you visit Cali Wild Ales, even if they're not in the tasting room. Customer service is off the charts, especially by OB's famous Steve O who is often behind the bar. Sour beers are fantastic here and the Michelada is a house recipe that goes down easy on a Sunday afternoon, or any day. There is often live music and always fun table games plus a super cool indoor outdoor atmosphere that will have you ordering another beer and settling in for a great experience.

Great drinks. Really nice owners. Rocking music. This place is awesome - They have great things going on....

Trivia night, front row seat to the Xmas parade, dog, family and yummy drinks served by amazing bartenders. No live music but music is projected live on the big screen!

Awesome local spot on the corner of Newport & Cable St. Their sours are amazing and I also tried one of their lagers and IPA's which were delicious. The fun vibe includes games and seating with a view of Newport Ave which is ideal for people watching! Amazing service with knowledgeable staff who are happy to detail flavor profiles of all the beers, sours etc... Will be back to try the Shamrock Slushy and weekend Michelada specials.

Discovered this place while looking for a brewery to go to in the area. Really amazing service & friendly staff. They have a penny drop game behind the bar to play that was super fun. Bought a pin & a tshirt because I loved their logo and their merch was so cute. If you like Micheladas I definitely recommend the one on their menu! If I ever go back to San Diego I will for sure go back here.

We had a great experience here. We started off by asking the bartender for poke recommendations on the area, and she was very knowledgeable. After grabbing some food to bring in, we sat down to eat and grab some beers. I felt super welcome with my four year old, and the owner's kids even came over to play with her. The sours were solid, and the atmosphere was amazing. Definitely would recommend and will be back!!

Fun bar in OB! Star Wars themed with beers named after movie references. Bar tender was nice and made some good recommendations. Plenty of fun little bar games to keep you entertained

Ella from Wild CA Ales is a gem!!!!! The place is super dog friendly and a great local OB spot. I most definitely will be back because of Ella

Fun bar with games in the center of OB. Their old location in Sorrento valley just closed, so come here if you like their unusual and quirky ales.

Gigantic selection of sour beers. Excellent quality. Friendly staff. Super cool owner who knows his business well enough to have a big bottle of Tums stashed behind the tap handles for those of us who likes sours a little too much. Like the beer names, love the themes, thought the T-shirts selection was great. Nice people were hanging out here with their chill dogs on a sunny day near the ocean in San Diego. We spent over an hour here, but had we not been on a schedule, I could've hung out here for most of the day. I shall return.

Very chill spot we stumbled upon while taking a stroll towards OB pier. I'm not a fan of sour beers but I tried the Carlsbad Blueberry and surprisingly, I actually liked it! Tastes like blueberry jam. My husband got the watermelon mint and that was refreshing. It's not an overly large space but there is ample seating and plenty of fun drinking games which my hubby and I perused. We easily spent 2.5 hours here, chillin', drinkin' and playin'. We knew we came to the right place because they played quite a few Sublime songs. Ha! The staff are super friendly and helpful. The vibe is very laidback and unpretentious as one fellow Yelper mentioned in their review. 5 stars for great service, clean facility (and bathroom was clean and well stocked), great music, great vibe and great beers!

First of all you need to know that this is all sour beers, of which I am a fan. Unfortunately, these beers were so sour. It was hard to tell the difference between any of them, no nuance at all. I prefer a very flavorful barrel, aged sour beer that has lots of flavor of which sour is a part, not the overwhelming taste. On top of that the beertenders spoke so quickly I could never understand, what he said, but he was very friendly. The location is nice and the marketing is terrific. Unfortunately, the beers are so sour I just couldn't deal with them.

If you're in the area - this is a must visit!! The beers are so good here. Sours ranging from mellow to super sour and some IPAs too. Steve-O (not of Jackass fame) is an excellent bartender. Pro tip: ask for "dealers choice" and he knows what's up. He noticed I had an IPA and a sour and offered me a Dry Hopped Golden next and it was like if all of my favorite beer-notes had a love child. Come for the beers, stay for the music and people. This needs to be on your OB list! Also, challenge a friend to "shut the box". The bartender will know

Great selection of sour beers, with a smattering of hard kombucha and more "regular" styles. It's definitely more crafty and niche and more for those in the know or have the palate. Service was pleasant, decent amount of seating options, they even have some mini hook & ring games to challenge your friends. If you don't have an affinity for sour beers or aren't open to trying new things, don't act ignorant and leave a sourpuss review it just makes you look bad.

Nice collection of local beers including IPAs and sours really casual place decent atmosphere in Ocean Beach

Go and find out why this is my favorite bar in OB. Thank you Stevo crazy sour beers, great IPAs and games, sports and dog friendly are just a few of the added bonuses

What an amazing brewery . They specialize in sours and have a few beers for the non sour drinkers . They're beer is so fresh I had to come here twice in one trip !

Huge sour beer fan over here, and I love that I just stumbled in to realize pretty much all the beers on the board are sour. At first I just thought this place for Phish heads. Seriously, every day when I walk by there is a sign that says, "Live Phish Concert Tonight." Look, I'm not a Phish fan, so I kept asking myself, what are the odds there are actually this many phish concerts multiple nights in a row? I still haven't looked it up, since I don't care... but I'm glad I got to watch others thoroughly jam out Phish while I reveled in all the sour beer glory. If you're not a sour fan, you'll have about 4 other beers to choose from - so just say yes to your friend that's asking you to come along!

I didn't know I liked sour beers until I tried this place! If you're in OB and want a beer, come check this place out. The staff are nice and friendly, the vibe is chill and the restrooms are clean!

Wow! The people at California Wild Ales are what you always hope to have nearby when you find yourself in an unfortunate situation. I had a potentially terrible thing happen just outside the bar and Allie and JT (hope I remembered the names correctly) came to the rescue without any hesitation or concern for themselves. It's seemed that all the customers as well came outside to contribute help and support to the situation. I plan to become a loyal customer to this fine establishment after seeing what exceptional people these owners are. OB is certainly very lucky to have you as a part of the community. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Tastes like vinegar, basically made like vinegar. My friends and I felt sick for a couple days after. Great vibes and friendly staff tho

Wild Ales is through and through, a dedicated Sour Brewery and is exactly as advertised. They do collaborations with local shops, which I really appreciate. The tasting room at OB is clean, with ample seats, and the bartender is super nice. These sour beers are far more sour than I'm used to, and Sours are typically my go-to choice. I loved the Carlsbad Blueberry! I did a full flight and one other pour of the Peach Cobbler. Overall, a good time at this brewery and they constantly had a flow of people and their pups roll through. Super dog-friendly and open-air space!

Great service, and great vibe. Highly recommend for a chill beer time and great location.

I love this place!! Great sour beers and Steve O is an amazing bartender. They will give you recommendations you will love!!

Great niche brewery and atmosphere. Mostly wild and fruity, but enough variety for everyone in your party's taste buds. Steve O, was a party. Try them out!

Great beers, great games, great atmosphere. What more do you need? Amazing little place that I could definitely see coming back to every time I'm in the area.

I travel solo and stopped here on Wed afternoon! So fun and good sours and seltzers!!

Nothing sour about my experience here! Steve O is so welcoming and friendly behind the bar. This is a regular stop for me on my walk home from work when I need a refreshing break after my serving shift down the street. Last time I got to meet one of the brewers Matt and I'm not normally a sour beer person but getting to try many of the flavors with these guys was exactly what I needed to find a favorite I want to keep coming back for. Thanks for the company, education, and hospitality you guys! Thanks for making me love my neighborhood even more!!

Most of the beers are sour which wasn't great. The entire place was essentially a daycare with beer. There were more children under 3 than adults which I absolutely didn't like.

I got a flight of 5 sours and didn't like a single one, they all tasted like vinegar. A couple hours later, my partner (who had 1 sour) and I both had horrible diarrhea. I'm not sure if something just didn't sit right with us, but unfortunately we will not be returning.

Awesome beers! Great vibes. Just wish they had some food. Nothing like some nice salty fries with a tangy barrel aged sour!!

This place has amazing atmosphere. Primarily sours but no need to worry, they have a killer West Coast IPA. Their beer-tender gave off great vibes. You can tell the owner cares about the customers and has passion for beer. 10/10 and will come here over and over again.

Great vibe, Steve O. Is awesome, great tunes & fun crowd...dog friendly...will make this a regular stop when visiting OB.

Will NEVER frequent this establishment again. We were attending the OB market on 8/9/23 and had my 7 month pregnant friend along. She desperately needed to use the rest room so we decided to pop in to buy someone at the bar a drink so she could use their facilities. The line was understandably long and we were waiting with her in line in case she needed assistance. The bartender approached to let us know that the bathrooms were for paying customers only. We explained that as soon as she used the bathroom we would happily buy someone at the bar a drink and that this was an emergency. He rudely gestured for her to get out of line and purchase the drink before using the bathroom. I told him I would happily provide my card and to place an order for any drink for whomever at the bar so she could use the bathroom and he said she couldn't use it until something has been bought. She is 7 MONTHS pregnant and he gave zero consideration for her condition or our willingness to buy something. I have never encountered a more rude or disrespectful employee in the service industry. We will never return to this establishment and will continue to post on all of our social media's about the awful treatment and service here.

Awesome ales and even better people! If you are a sour drinker, you have to hit this place. (I'm the IPA drinker in thr family, and still love it.)

We came in here waiting for our Chinese food and realized we could sit and eat here while we had delicious beers on tap AND OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS...not only are their beers stellar but their bartender Ella...FREAKING AMAZING!! She was very knowledgeable and helped us pin down to our new favorites which are blueberry lemonade sour ale and up the hill hazy IPA!! Fantastic beers, fantastic human being and just totally worth every dime spent here!

Finally a place that specializes in sours!!! I am not a beer person and really don't know much about beer only that I hate IPAs and can smell them a mile away. Beer is like wine in that we know what we don't like, right?! Hubs and I did 2 flights of the sours and everyone single one was so unique and and I felt the flavors got better and better each sip. The pumpkin and sour apple pie was spot on but not overpowering. They had a German chocolate that legit tasted like cake. It also has 11% alcohol so you've been warned. Don't get me started on the watermelon mint. A basic b&%#$@& dream. They have a citrus one that is so good too and goes perfect with a michelada. Oh and they have a bloody Mary mix too that they said they'd be selling soon. Only downside is I live in IB and they are in OB. Waahh!! The guy behind the bar was SO nice even though it was pretty busy. He was attentive, knowledgeable and spoke highly of the owners. Can't wait to go back.

These beers are the definition of sour ales! The atmosphere is amazing relaxed fun place! Bartenders are amazing and you can tell they love and appreciate the product they sell! Will be coming back as soon as possible!

Let me start by saying, Im not a craft beer guy, especially here in San Diego. I find most of the craft brew here to be too hop heavy and hard to drink. Enter CWA. Bumped into the owner, who asked us to come check them out. I can't tell you enough how glad I am that we did. This place, to me, is sheer perfection. They specialize in sours, which is my favorite type of craft beer. Their flavors are AMAZING. The atmosphere reminds me of an old bar, with several fun games to pass time with as you enjoy the best selection of sours and seltzers in San Diego, if not all of California. The staff is so cool and friendly. Their merch is top quality, we bought 4 shirts because of how soft they were. If you're a Bloody Mary person, try the pickle sour as a michelada, the mix for which is a homemade recipe. Other recommendations are the Cherry Potter (cherry chocolate) and the Planet of the Grapes (Cabernet grapes and honey) if you like seltzers, they currently have watermelon mint and passion fruit, orange, and guava. Both are refreshing and delicious. Get down there and enjoy.

this place has some of the best sours i've ever had!! i love any place that you can get flights too so that made it even better